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Stronger Than Lions
Set in South Africa. Devastated by the loss of his mother, Caleb enters his final year of high school facing an uncertain future and plagued by the bullies who have been making his life a misery. When a new boy with a mysterious past arrives at the school, Caleb is thrust headlong into a series of events that will make senior year the most important time of his life yet.
- GenresM M RomanceYoung Adult
ebook
First published September 18, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 14, 2013
I found this little gem on www.gayauthors.org I love this website and others like it because the authors who publish their stories there are not restricted by some formulaic format that many published authors are. As a result, many of the stories are "epic" in length and unpredictable as to where the protagonists are headed and how the story unfolds. This can be very painful sometimes if the story doesn't grab and reader for the ride. This one did grab me and I loved it. The story is set in South Africa and contains wonderful little tidbits of knowledge about the country and the culture; so much so that I have now added a visit to South Africa to my "bucket list."
The MCs (Cal and Chris) get together fairly early in the story, shortly after the death of Cal's mother. The story is a coming of age/coming out story of two bisexual teenage boys (both 18) in their senior year of what we would call high school here in the US.
The bulk of the story is about the adventures, challenges and triumphs of the couple in their senior year of school. There is little sex in the story; but it is full of drama about life, love, loss, grief, good parents, bad parents, growth, redemption and rugby. The author is a beautiful writer and obviously extremely intelligent about many things. But because it is self published, the author sometimes waxes poetic about religion, philosophy, history and the meaning of life. I especially love the random pop culture references thrown in. This usually bugs me, but it so well done I didn't skim over any of it.
I found myself wanting more about the life and adventures of Cal and Chris. There are also a couple of random chapters near the end from Chris POV, via his diary, that are a little weird. It is a “stream of consciousness” dialogue about how much he loves Cal. Again, totally non formulaic and free flowing.
Overall, this is a delightful adventure with two very endearing characters. Well worth a read.
The MCs (Cal and Chris) get together fairly early in the story, shortly after the death of Cal's mother. The story is a coming of age/coming out story of two bisexual teenage boys (both 18) in their senior year of what we would call high school here in the US.
The bulk of the story is about the adventures, challenges and triumphs of the couple in their senior year of school. There is little sex in the story; but it is full of drama about life, love, loss, grief, good parents, bad parents, growth, redemption and rugby. The author is a beautiful writer and obviously extremely intelligent about many things. But because it is self published, the author sometimes waxes poetic about religion, philosophy, history and the meaning of life. I especially love the random pop culture references thrown in. This usually bugs me, but it so well done I didn't skim over any of it.
I found myself wanting more about the life and adventures of Cal and Chris. There are also a couple of random chapters near the end from Chris POV, via his diary, that are a little weird. It is a “stream of consciousness” dialogue about how much he loves Cal. Again, totally non formulaic and free flowing.
Overall, this is a delightful adventure with two very endearing characters. Well worth a read.
May 3, 2017
Beautiful!
So beautifully written. I could read it again and again. It was timeless and at the same time firmly centered in the here and now. Just very well done.
So beautifully written. I could read it again and again. It was timeless and at the same time firmly centered in the here and now. Just very well done.
October 1, 2016
There's a lot of drama in this book, but the love story at the center of it was very sweet. I enjoyed the South African setting, and the author managed to give the supporting characters distinct personalities, which is so often not the case.
April 2, 2016
One of the sweetest and most moving romances I've ever come across. The story of Caleb and Christopher is enchanting and the writer crafts a gripping and beguiling story that is surprisingly complex and nuanced for a gay high school romance. The characters are likeable and well-written, their challenges real and gripping, and the setting –the extraordinary beauty of South Africa (especially Cape Town)– is a character in its own right. It's as much a coming-of-age story as it is a romance, and a very well written one. While Halford keeps to most of the classic tropes one would expect, the quality of the writing and storytelling boosts it well above the average. Highly recommended.
October 6, 2016
I wanted to give it five stars...
This story had me laughing and crying throughout. But some editing issues became a bit distracting. I think the love story between Cal and Chris could have been served better with a series of books. A few characters introduced kind of disappeared.
Overall, I did enjoy the story. It'll stick with me for a bit.
This story had me laughing and crying throughout. But some editing issues became a bit distracting. I think the love story between Cal and Chris could have been served better with a series of books. A few characters introduced kind of disappeared.
Overall, I did enjoy the story. It'll stick with me for a bit.
August 12, 2016
I really wanted to like this more....but sadly at 40% I ended up skimming the rest because I got bored.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews